Biology News

WWF Study Shows 60% Decrease in Vertebrate Population Counts

Polar bears’ habitat and food sources are shrinking at an alarming rate. Image credit: Skeeze.
Nov 5, 2018 by Sam Sander Effron

It is no secret that climate change and environmental negligence have been worsened by human activity and accelerated industrialization over the past century, and that wildlife greatly suffers as a result. A recent study published by the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) analyzes the most recent data of animal populations worldwide, and shows an average 60% decrease in vertebrate populations globally. Polar bears’ habitat and food sources are shrinking...

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The Natewa swallowtail (Papilio natewa). Image credit: Greg Kerr.

Lepidopterists Discover New Swallowtail Species on Fiji

Nov 2, 2018 by News Staff

A beautiful new species of swallowtail butterfly has been discovered on the Pacific Island of Vanua Levu, Fiji. The Natewa swallowtail (Papilio natewa)....

American cockroaches deter emerald jewel wasps with a vigorous defense. Image credit: K.C. Catania, doi: 10.1159/000490341.

Cockroaches Karate Kick Parasitoid Wasps to Avoid Becoming ‘Zombies’

Nov 1, 2018 by News Staff

The emerald jewel wasp (Ampulex compressa) is renowned for its ability to zombify the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) with a sting to the brain....

New Research Confirms Six Living Tiger Subspecies

Oct 30, 2018 by News Staff

Today, fewer than 4,000 free-ranging tigers survive in the wild, covering only 7% of their historical range. Efforts to protect these animals have been...

New Caledonian crow with a stick tool. Image credit: Auguste von Bayern.

New Caledonian Crows Can Combine Objects to Construct New Compound Tools

Oct 29, 2018 by News Staff

According to a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports, habitually tool-using New Caledonian crows (Corvus moneduloides) are able to create...

The Central African slender-snouted crocodile (Mecistops leptorhynchus). Image credit: Shirley et al, doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.4504.2.1.

Cryptic New Species of Crocodile Identified in Africa

Oct 26, 2018 by News Staff

An international team of researchers has identified a cryptic new species of slender-snouted crocodile living in Central Africa. The Central African slender-snouted...

3D projection of a cancer cell that is about to undergo cell division and adheres to the substrate with reticular adhesions: chromatin/DNA (blue); cell membrane (red); reticular adhesions (green/yellow in the bottom of the cell). Image credit: John Lock.

Scientists Discover New Structure in Human Cells

Oct 24, 2018 by News Staff

An international research team led by scientists at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, has discovered a new structure in human cells — a new type of...

The Rote leaf warbler (Phylloscopus rotiensis). Image credit: Philippe Verbelen.

Rote Leaf Warbler: New Bird Species Discovered in Indonesia

Oct 23, 2018 by News Staff

A striking new species of leaf warbler has been discovered in the forests of the Indonesian island of Rote by an international team of researchers. The...

The Pando aspen clone from a distance (green foreground and middle -- not yellow). Image credit: Lance Oditt, Studio 47.60° North.

Pando, World’s Largest Single Organism, is Shrinking

Oct 22, 2018 by News Staff

A team of researchers from Utah State University has conducted the first complete assessment of the Pando aspen clone — the largest living organism...

The common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). Image credit: Petra D.

Study: Dandelion’s Extraordinary Flying Ability is Possible Thanks to Previously Unknown Form of Flight

Oct 19, 2018 by News Staff

Wind-dispersed plants have evolved ingenious ways to lift their seeds. The common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) uses a bundle of drag-enhancing bristles...

Chimpanzees share food with their friends. Image credit: Liran Samuni, Tai Chimpanzee Project.

Study: Chimps Share Food with Friends

Oct 15, 2018 by News Staff

Why share when access to benefits is uncertain is crucial to our understanding of the evolution of cooperation in human societies. In a study published...

Acoustic monitoring of bee flight buzzes during the eclipse revealed an overall cessation of flight activity during totality. Image credit: Kevin McIver.

Bees Go Silent during Total Solar Eclipses, New Research Shows

Oct 11, 2018 by News Staff

The total solar eclipse of 21 August 2017 traversed 5,000 km from coast to coast of North America. In its 90-min span, sunlight dropped by three orders...

Newborn giraffes with large and irregularly shaped spots survive better during their first few months of life. Image credit: Derek Lee, Wild Nature Institute / Pennsylvania State University.

Study: Giraffe Calves Inherit Spot Patterns from Mothers

Oct 8, 2018 by News Staff

According to a new study, published in the journal PeerJ, some features of a giraffe’s spot pattern are passed on from mother to baby. Newborn giraffes...

The groundcherry (Physalis pruinosa). Image credit: Steve Buissinne.

Groundcherry Could Be Agriculture’s Next Big Berry Crop

Oct 4, 2018 by News Staff

The groundcherry (Physalis pruinosa), also called ‘husk cherry’ and ‘strawberry tomato,’ is native to Central and South America. This tropical-tasting...

This image shows a colony of red harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex barbatus); a forager is marked with an identifying color. Image credit: Becca Nelson.

Neurotransmitter Dopamine Makes Harvester Ants More Productive: Study

Oct 2, 2018 by News Staff

Colonies of the red harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex barbatus) forage in the desert for seeds that provide both food and water. Foragers lose water while out...

The blue-throated hillstar (Oreotrochilus cyanolaemus), male. Image credit: Sornoza-Molina et al, doi: 10.1642/AUK-18-58.1.

New Hummingbird Species Discovered in Ecuador

Sep 28, 2018 by News Staff

A new species of hummingbird, called the blue-throated hillstar (Oreotrochilus cyanolaemus), has been discovered in the southwestern Andes of Ecuador by...

Tosanoides aphrodite in its natural environment, photographed at a depth of 390 feet (120 m) in St. Paul’s Rocks, Brazil. Image credit: L.A. Rocha.

Scientists Discover New Species of Reef Fish: Tosanoides aphrodite

Sep 27, 2018 by Enrico de Lazaro

Marine biologists from the California Academy of Sciences have discovered a new species of coral reef fish living in the waters off Saint Paul’s Rocks,...

A honeybee. Image credit: Alex Wild / University of Texas at Austin.

Common Herbicide Glyphosate Alters Bee Gut Microbiota, Increases Susceptibility to Infections

Sep 26, 2018 by News Staff

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that honeybees exposed to glyphosate — the primary herbicide used...

Hierodula tenuidentata eating Poecilia reticulata from the tail. Image credit: Rajesh Puttaswamaiah.

Praying Mantis Spotted Hunting and Eating Fish for the First Time

Sep 26, 2018 by News Staff

Praying mantises are carnivorous insects with powerful raptorial front legs. Their diet includes insects, lizards, frogs, newts, mice, small birds, snakes...

This image shows a single human skeletal stem cell-derived colony. Image credit: Chan et al, doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.07.029.

Skeletal Stem Cells Identified in Humans

Sep 24, 2018 by News Staff

Human skeletal stem cells capable of self-renewal and multilineage differentiation to bone, cartilage, and stroma have been isolated by Dr. Michael Longaker...

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